Before the Final Stroke
by scrumptiousinternetllama
Summary: Written for siriusbarks! Xeno is deep in focus one night, drawing in the Ravenclaw common room when a voice interrupts him just before the final stroke of his pencil. Xeno/Pandora


**AN: Written for Barky (siriusbarks) for the August exchange!**

Before the Final Stroke

Xenophilius Lovegood was sat in the Ravenclaw common room. The great, floor-to-ceiling windows provided him with an inspiring view of the starry Scottish sky.

It was rather late and Xenophilius had originally intended to complete his Astronomy homework but the night sky had caused a flurry of thoughts to swirl around his mind. He was inspired.

He wasn't going to allow such wonderful thoughts to go unspoken. So he put his work to the side and begun to speak. The thoughts flowed through his mind, into his arms and out of him through the same pencil he was supposed to be using to map constellations. The back of the large piece of parchment he had been using was now his canvas.

His hands guided the pencil around the pages, marking each curve and small line. When he was like this, his focus was intense and he usually didn't finish until he either fell asleep or finished. People usually left him to it. However, today, a voice from across the common room made his hand falter just before the final stroke.

"What is that?" they asked.

Xenophilius knew who it was. Pandora had been the only other person in the common room when he had come downstairs from his dorm.

Xenophilius stepped back to allow the blonde a clear view of his drawing and she stood from her seat to get a closer look.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, following the lines on the Centaur's body, and gazing intently with her large blue eyes at the swirling constellations above its head.

"Would you like to keep it?" asked Xenophilus, slightly amused by how impressed she seemed to be with the piece.

"No, I couldn't d—"

"I don't mind. You seem to like it," said Xenophilius, cutting off her refusal.

"Are you sure, Xenophilius?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'm sure, and please, call me Xeno," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Xeno," she said.

Xenophilius smiled as Pandora gingerly handled the parchment, trying not to crease it. Then he frowned, remembering that he still hadn't done his Astronomy homework. It was getting late as well.

"What's wrong?" asked Pandora. She had caught the look on his face.

"Oh, I just have to do my Astronomy homework," he answered, turning to pick up another piece of parchment.

"I could help you with it. If you wanted?"

Xeno blinked, slightly surprised at her offer. She was one of the best students in his Astronomy lesson; her help would be lovely, but he couldn't impose on her free time like that. "I wouldn't want t—"

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind," she said. He was the one being cut off this time.

He smiled. "Thank you very much, Pandora."

She looked out of the window and pursed her lips. "I think we should go up to the Astronomy Tower; it's clearer when you're not looking at the stars through glass."

Following the blonde out of the common room, Xeno couldn't help but smile at her helpfulness.

* * *

When they reached the Astronomy Tower, Pandora sat down and gestured for him to join her.

"Look up at the stars," she said, following her own advice.

"They're beautiful," he said, his eyes flicking over to Pandora as he said it. Their eyes met and realised he was blushing. Risking another glance at Pandora, he noticed that she was as well.

"Shall we start mapping the constellations?" asked Pandora, allowing her hair to conceal her cheeks.

Xeno nodded; then realising that she couldn't see him, he said, "Yes."

She reached over him to grab a pencil, her hair brushing his robes. "I'm not as good at drawing as you are but I'll try and help out," she said with a smile.

He watched, slightly mesmerised as her hands methodically sketched the night sky above them. After a moment, he picked up his own pencil and joined her.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear; the view from the common room was almost blindingly beautiful. The lush Scottish landscape rolled out as far as the eye could see; only a change in the shade of green indicated where the forest began.

After waking up, Xeno made his way straight to the easels by the windows. A face had been haunting his dreams that night; a flowing stream of blonde hair passing by him making him spin round and round trying to figure who it belonged to. Now, in wakefulness, Xeno knew who had been in his dreams. Pandora.

There was a paintbrush and a palette already set out and Xenophilius picked up the brush and began painting. In went blues and yellows and colours that were _just_ the perfect shade.

When he finished, he stepped back, noticing that people were returning from breakfast and getting their supplies for first lesson. It was when it started emptying again that Xenophilius turned around to find a wide-eyed Pandora gazing at his canvas.

He bit his lip, nervously waiting for her to give her verdict. She didn't say anything.

"I—I'm sorry if I—"

"Sorry?" she exclaimed, turning to him. "Are you being serious? It's absolutely stunning!" Then she blushed. "That sounds terribly conceited."

"No, it doesn't!" said Xenophilius, quick to reassure her. "You're stunning."

There was a momentary pause and he wondered whether he had said something wrong. He was just about to apologise when Pandora stepped forward and kissed him. It lasted only a moment but when she stepped back and skipped out of the common room with a final grin thrown his way, he could still feel it burning on his lips.

Pressing two fingers to his mouth, he dropped onto an armchair, grinning wildly.


End file.
